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Action extends long-standing commitment to improve environmental impact
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180724005113/en/
Every year, more than 8 million tons of plastics are leaked into the
world’s oceans. According to a recent
“Aramark shares our guests’ passion to protect and preserve our oceans.
Today’s announcement provides an opportunity to make meaningful
achievements in minimizing our environmental impact, while continuing to
deliver experiences that enrich and nourish lives,” said
Today’s announcement is part of a holistic strategy to address single-use plastics overall, starting with the most visible category of straws and stirrers, offering reusable products, encouraging consumers to join in, and looking ahead at design and innovation.
The company’s single-use plastic reduction strategy includes:
1) Phasing out use of plastic straws and stirrers, and offering eco-friendly alternatives, where possible, starting September, 2018. This will result in a 60% decrease in plastic straws by 2020, or nearly 100 million fewer straws annually in the U.S., enough to stretch halfway around the world if placed end to end.
2) Prioritizing additional categories to drive reduction of all single-use plastics, such as bags and cutlery.
3) Expanding offerings of reusable water bottles, coffee mugs, take out containers and bags.
4) Partnering with our suppliers and national brands to reduce packaging through design and innovation.
5) Educating and enabling consumers to eliminate or reduce single-use plastics.
6) Reporting on our progress and challenges to ensure transparency and continuous improvement.
Despite concern for the environment, consumers recognize that special
circumstances require continued, but decreased, use of plastic straws by
individuals with special needs and hospital patients.
- 100% elimination in national parks, higher education residential dining and select business dining locations, representing hundreds of client locations.
- 30% to 60% reduction across hundreds of K-12 schools, sports venues and healthcare facilities, and nearly 60% reduction in Canadian operations.
The company is also launching a “Sip Smarter” consumer marketing campaign to raise awareness, inform consumers and drive change. The campaign is designed to complement the operational actions with messaging that will help to minimize plastic consumption. Signs will be included in operational merchandising to alert customers about the changes, where they can still find straws upon request and ways they can reduce personal consumption of single-use plastics.
Aramark’s size and reach provide an opportunity to minimize environmental impact in thousands of locations and communities, across the globe, and help conserve the health of the world’s oceans. The company joined the United Nations Environment Programme campaign #CleanSeas, to reduce single-use plastics by 2022, and partners with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, to source responsible fresh and frozen finfish and shellfish.
To learn more about Green Thread, Aramark’s commitment to environmental sustainability, visit www.aramark.com/responsibility.
About
1 Survey conducted
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180724005113/en/
Source:
Aramark
Erin Noss, 215-409-7403
Noss-erin@aramark.com